


First Meeting

by nautilus_8532



Series: Duskwood One shots [6]
Category: Duskwood (Everbyte Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28749714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nautilus_8532/pseuds/nautilus_8532
Relationships: Cleo/Phil, Dan/Lilly, Hannah/Thomas, Jake/MC, Richy/Jessy
Series: Duskwood One shots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092431
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Three months after Hannah was found and at her request, everyone will gather at the Aurora to celebrate, not only to keep up with each other’s lives, but also to welcome the new addition to their group - Jake and Natalie. They are excited to see each other again and meet the mysterious duo who helped them find their friend, especially the strange hacker who gave them the scare of their lives.

Natalie is also excited to go to Duskwood. She will finally be able to see, with her own eyes, the places that Jessy took her to during their virtual trip around town. What surprised her even more is that Lilly helped her get an accommodation at Ms. Walter’s motel for a week. It was a small gesture of gratitude after all that happened between them, but Natalie feels it’s a step towards reconciliation.

The only one that doesn’t seem excited with the prospect is, of course, Jake. People make him nervous, and he’s never one to strike up a conversation. Also, when Jake thought about having sisters, he never realized how chaotic it would be. At first he wondered if he feels that way because he’s been alone for so long, but as the days went by, he realized that having siblings can be really challenging.

Especially tonight, when, for the past hour or so, Natalie and his half-sisters have been trying to convince him that going to Duskwood and meeting them is a good idea.

**G R O U P C H A T**

HANNAH ADDED JAKE TO THE CONVERSATION

HANNAH ADDED LILLY

HANNAH ADDED YOU

Sooooo

Saturday, 7pm at the Aurora?

C'mon now, Jake

They're not going to swallow you whole

They just want to meet the "mysterious" hacker dude

Easy for you to say, Lilly.

You haven't tried being off the radar and out of touch with society.

It's not my fault you decided to live under a rock for years 🙄

Don't mind her, Jake

Will you do it for me, then? 🙏🥺

Of course, I will go, Hannah.

I just haven't decided how long I'll be there.

I can see now who's your favorite sister 😑

If it tips the scales though, it might interest you to know that Nat will be there, too

I booked her a room at the motel

Really?

Yes, I'm flying on Friday night. 😉

Did you book me a room, too, Lilly?

😶

Well...

I guess not.

Don't worry about it, Jake. I can ask Richy to take you in

That won't be necessary, Hannah. I won't stay long.

That's settled, then

I'd love to stay but I have something to do

See you on Saturday!

LILLY IS NOW OFFLINE

I'm excited to see you, too!

HANNAH IS NOW OFFLINE

  


After Hannah and Lilly left the chat, Nat sent Jake another message.

**J A K E**

Hey, Jake.

Yeah?

You can stay with me, if you like.

With you??

Hmmm. I'm not sure.

I'm a virtuous, young man, after all.

Oh, get over yourself.

The room that Lilly booked for me can accommodate two.

You will have your own bed.

Haha.

Just kidding. ;)

But, are you sure?

I really don't mind.😊

Alright.

I'll see you on Saturday, then. :)

I'll wait with bated breath. 😝

JAKE IS NOW OFFLINE

  



	2. Chapter 2

The resolution of Hannah’s case not only brought peace to Duskwood, it also cleared Phil’s name and restored the bar’s reputation. After weeks of dwindling number of visitors, the Aurora once again buzzed with life, its seats filled up with patrons.

Phil is ecstatic to have his customers back, creating different promotional activities every week to celebrate their return. He’s especially happy working on his charms again during ladies’ nights. His reputation with people admittedly got smeared when Cleo burst into the bar and accused him of Hannah’s abduction, but now that Hannah’s safe, it has all been forgotten. That doesn’t mean Phil has forgiven Cleo for her unfounded accusations. He still feels slighted after her outburst and thinks that Cleo hasn’t done enough to get rid of his disdain. As he thought of how to resolve the situation, his phone buzzed with a message from her. 

**C L E O, P H I L**

Hey, can we talk?

PHIL IS NOW ONLINE

Can you read my mind?

I’m not sure I follow.

Are you trying to hit on me??

Haha

You’re definitely something

I only asked you one question and you suddenly think I’m hitting on you?

Well, that’s the impression I got from your text.

Or is that what you were expecting? ;)

🙄 Can we go back to the topic?

Haha, alright. What is it now?

Jessy asked me to tell you that we will have a get-together on Saturday night at the Aurora.

We want you to join us.

I see. Hmmm.

Hannah organized it.

She wanted everyone to be there, including you.

And you’re telling me this instead of Jessy because - ?

It took Cleo some time to respond, the three dots blinking for quite a while that it started to make Phil impatient.

**C L E O, P H I L**

How can you be so incredibly thick??

I can't read minds, Cleo

😩😩

Jessy wanted me to initiate the conversation so I can apologize to you for the accusations I made.

And is that what you were doing right now?

Of course, not.

It would be rude of me not to apologize to you in person.

Glad we got that straightened out

Alright

But there’ll be conditions

Conditions??

What is it??

;)

Let’s talk about it on Saturday

I’ll reserve seats for all of you

PHIL IS NOW OFFLINE

Phil smirked as he put his phone back to his pocket, thinking about the ways that Cleo can make it up to him.

********

Cleo dropped the phone to her lap, her mouth agape in annoyance as she read Phil’s last message. She knows that Phil likes teasing her, but it still gets on her nerves. Jessy looked at her curiously as she rolled her eyes in frustration, going back to folding the clothes she had laundered earlier in the day.

“Why is your brother like that?” Cleo asked, exasperated.

Jessy smirked as she put the towel she’d been folding on the table. "Believe me, I've been asking that same question for the last twenty-six years. But you know what? I think he likes you.”

Cleo’s eyes bulged, almost gagging from her statement. “What in the world makes you think of that?”

“Teasing and agitation is Phil’s covert way of saying ‘I’m comfortable with you and I know we’ll get along just fine’. If he’s doing it with you, then that’s saying something.” Jessy looked back at Cleo, eyeing her suspiciously. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you like him, too.”

“I hate him.” Cleo says as a matter-of-fact.

“Hate is a strong emotion, much like love.” Jessy said as she winked at her.

Cleo scoffed and threw another towel at Jessy’s head, to which Jessy dodged swiftly before laughing. “You’re just like him, you know that?”

At the back of Cleo’s mind, she’s considering Jessy’s words carefully. Why can Phil elicit this kind of emotion from her so easily, and how does she prevent it from happening again?

Cleo’s phone buzzed again with a message from Hannah. Jessy also looked up at her upon hearing her own phone ping.

**G R O U P C H A T**

CLEO IS NOW ONLINE

Hey guys. Jake agreed to come on Saturday. 

Nat will also be there.

JESSY IS NOW ONLINE

The hacker??

Ooooh. I can’t wait to see him.

DAN IS NOW ONLINE

Good. I have some questions for him. 🧐

RICHY IS NOW ONLINE

LILLY IS NOW ONLINE

Cut it out, Dan. You’re going to make him uncomfortable.

Isn’t that my role in this group?

😂😂

Yeah, yeah, you’re doing a very good job at that

👊👊

Can you behave, just this once, Dan?

The word “behave” is not in my dictionary.

Phil’s coming, too

I invited him - at Jessy’s behest

😏😏

Great, we’ll be complete, then

Yeah. We’ll see you on Saturday!

Adios!👋

HANNAH IS NOW OFFLINE

THOMAS IS NOW OFFLINE

CLEO IS NOW OFFLINE

LILLY IS NOW OFFLINE

DAN IS NOW OFFLINE

JESSY IS NOW OFFLINE

RICHY IS NOW OFFLINE


End file.
